Tuesday, October 23, 2012

I am an
Industrial Designer by day and Artist by night. I have been designing office
furniture for the past 8 years and have released many products in the
commercial furniture market. I recently decided to pursue my dream of launching
my career as an Artist, a side venture which allows me to freely express my
creativity.

I am a
self-taught artist and have been sketching since I could hold a pencil.

My style is
unique and reflects my Industrial Design background with great attention to
detail in my drawings; this is evident in one of my recent drawings ‘Window to
Paris’ where I spent many hours adding the intricate details of the metal
structures of the Eiffel Tower.

Brigit Window to Paris Lartiste Free as Hair

I specialise
in drawing with pencil and like to apply a dash of colour to accentuate elements
of the artwork and am currently working on creating prints of my original
artworks that were exhibited at Art Expo Sydney which will soon be available
for purchase.

Who (or what) inspires you to do what
you love in your own creative business?

There are no
rules in art for it is an expression of the soul, one of my favourite quotes
which I find inspiring is “Art is when you hear a knocking from your soul…. and
you answer” – Terri Guillemets. Industrial Design is focused on meeting a
particular design brief and connecting with the end user whereas Art is about
connecting with your soul and revealing a part of yourself with the world. I am
inspired to show people that we all have a way to express ourselves and that
art is an opportunity to show the way we see the world. I’m inspired by many
artists and their individual style and hope to also inspire others to create
their own art and unleash their creative potential.

Where do you get your inspiration from
when you design/paint?

My art is inspired by the combined elements of
fashion, architecture, nature and metaphysical concepts. I like to explore and
combine different ideas and ways of thinking.

Most of all, I am inspired by people and like to
portray personality and personal power in my artworks.

Music is what I use to process my inspiration and
convert it into creative energy, I find that it stimulates my mind and blocks
out any negative internal dialogue that may distract me from my work.

The funny thing is that most of my ideas for
artworks come to me at the most unexpected moments where I will be doing
something completely unrelated to art, this reinforces the concept of ‘let go
and let flow’ so I do my best to clear my mind of mental clutter to allow the
ideas to reveal itself when the time is right.

Art Expo Sydney September 2012

What are the five words that people
who know you would use to describe you?

Unique (but actually meaning to say ‘weird’)

Creative, Innovative, Hardworking & Down to Earth

Tell us about your very first job and
what path have you taken since then?

My first job while I was studying at Uni was
creating personalised 3D Crystal Portraits, I worked in a store at the QVB
where I photographed people with a 3D camera and used a laser machine to etch
the image into a block of crystal.

On the completion of my Industrial Design degree,
I was offered the opportunity to design office furniture for a sheet-metal
manufacturing company where I worked for 3 years and gained hands on experience
in the design and manufacturing of sheet metal products. I then proceeded to
work for a design consultancy which specialised in POP displays and worked on a
variety of retail projects which also included the design of furniture for a
retail fit out in the CBD. Today I am back in the Office Furniture industry and
have designed a variety of products over the last 4 years.

"Australia"

Even though my creative energy is well occupied
by my full time job, I recently decided that I want to pursue my dream of
sharing my drawing abilities with the world after having kept it behind closed
doors for so many years.

Describe a typical day in your studio
space?

A typical day in my studio space involves
continuous sketching while music is playing loud, with windows open for the
circulation of fresh air, pencil shading all over my hands, finger prints all over
my furniture and an odd break here and there. I find that time becomes very
warped while I sketch, it’s almost as though I am brought to a meditative state
where time stands still and I am able to achieve 3 hours of sketching in only
20 minutes.

Studio

As an artist/designer, what is your
biggest frustration?

Limited thinking…. There is nothing more
frustrating than being told that something ‘cannot be done’ I like to believe
that anything is possible and like to give everything a try.

I am a firm believer of Napoleon Hill’s quote: “What the mind of man can conceive and
believe, it can achieve”.

Tell us about how you prioritise your
studio work.

I start by visualising the end result and
determine in my mind what I would like to achieve. I then decide on the first
step I need to take and ensure that the most vital component is completed
first.

For example completing the artworks was the most
important element for exhibiting at Sydney Art Expo so I put a date on the day
which I wanted all my artworks to be completed, I then sketched out a layout of
how I wanted to display my art and then proceeded by focusing on each artwork
at a time without overloading my mind with all the ‘other tasks’ that had to be
completed in time for the show. I focused on the present moment and enjoyed the
feeling of creating my artworks and avoided worrying or stressing about the
future, I find it important to never doubt my ability to complete something on
time.

"Picture Jasper"

How do you connect with other artists,
and your clients (i.e. how do you network)?

Being new to the art scene I found that Art Expo
was a great opportunity for me to connect with other artists and meet potential
clients. I also connect with artists and people who are a fan of my work via
facebook and tumblr.

How do you manage to Design fulltime
and working on your art business?

Drawing for me is a way to unwind and quieten my
mind, it’s a time when I don’t think but instead follow my feelings so it
doesn’t feel like work but rather a form of meditation in a sense.

Art is my passion; for me drawing generates
creative energy which I then use to create more art!

So in a sense I find that we’re only ever “too busy” to do something that we don’t
really feel like doing, however when you find something that you love to do
then time will start looking for you rather than you looking for it.

Sydney Art Expo September 2012

Tell us about your experience
exhibiting at the Sydney Art Expo this year September

Exhibiting at the Sydney Art Expo was a wonderful
experience, I am very happy to have been given the opportunity to participate
in this great event. I was able to interact with a diverse range people who
appreciate art and have met many wonderful artists who I would have never met
otherwise.

On a personal note, it was a chance for me to see
what people think of my art and it has helped me decide on the ‘next step’ of
pursuing my art dream.

What advice can you offer other
creative people who are just starting out and following their passions?

There are no set rules in getting what you want
in life. Everyone has a unique journey to reach their goals so trust that when
you do everything that ‘feels right’, it will eventually lead you to a positive
outcome. Also, you have to believe in yourself before others can believe in
you.

What dreams do you still want to
achieve or fulfil in your life?

I would like to publish a motivational book, I
have been thinking about a topic for a while and haven’t quite determined what
it will be but I trust that it will reveal itself in due time. I would also
like to include my art as the visual elements of this book.

What is your proudest moment so far?

My proudest moment was to exhibit my art to the
public for the first time at Sydney Art Expo. My career path is quite unique to
other artists as I am a self-taught artist, have an Industrial Design degree
and have been designing furniture for the last 8 years, so to be able to stand
there in front of an exhibition display of my artworks has been proof to me
that we should never give up on our dreams even though life has seemed to have
taken us in completely different direction.

"World Within"

Who do you most want to meet and why?

I would like to meet Karl Largerfeld because he
is a fashion icon and I’m fascinated that at the age of 79 he is a fashion
designer, artist and photographer all while being the head designer and
creative director for the fashion house Chanel. He has achieved a lot in his
life and I would love to hear about his life experiences and current
endeavours.

What is the most important lesson in
life that you have learned?

I have learnt that our thoughts have great power
and that we are what we think therefore we have to be aware of the thoughts
that we entertain. Just like this quote from the book ‘Eat Pray Love’
instructs: “You need to learn how to select your thoughts just the same way you
select what clothes you’re gonna wear every day”. I’ve learnt that the only
thing that can hold me back in life is negative internal dialogue which I
always thought was there to keep me “safe” but has actually prevented me from
stepping out of my comfort zone where all great things happen.

What book are you reading right now,
and do you have a book you would like to recommend?

I am currently reading ‘Whatever You Think, Think
the Opposite’ by Paul Arden, a book which challenges the conventional way of
thinking and reveals how good things come from trying something new and
different.

I would love to recommend the book ‘The
Innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs’ by Carmine Gallo which gives the reader an
insight to the revolutionary thinking strategies of Steve jobs which encourages
people to “Think Different”. The book is based on Seven Principals of
Innovation which can be applied to any field of endeavour.
Definitely a good read because it inspires people to unlock their own creative
potential.